In the past few years, home entertainment has evolved from purely one-way radio and television (TV) broadcasts to include two-way communication that encompasses interactive games, video on demand (VOD), educational fare and consumer-oriented services (e.g., interactive shopping). For the most part, these services have been offered through familiar cable and satellite television distribution systems.
Broadly speaking, there are two paradigms for using cable and satellite systems in this fashion. One is computer-centric: using an installed satellite or cable feed (perhaps with a cable or telephone network back channel) as a high-bandwidth conduit to bring online computing services, such as Internet access, into the home. The second is television-centric: adding interactive functions to TV programming.
In general, systems deployed using the television-centric model have been grouped under the label interactive television or iTV. iTV services are usually delivered to subscribers' homes through an existing cable system, along with other, free and pay-for content. One example of available iTV services is a series of interactive TV portal screens, collectively called a “walled garden”. A walled garden is a collection of user content targeted toward a specific viewing audience. Delivered to the television via a local decoder system (sometimes called a set-top box), viewers navigate the walled garden using a remote control, exploring and interacting with offerings such as banking services, news, sports, weather, entertainment, and shopping. Network operators typically gain revenue from walled gardens by taking a percentage of the transactions or charging for space in TV malls. Walled gardens extend the network operator's brand identity while maintaining the well-known names that provide the content. Thus, the service provider can create a cohesive set of up-to-date content to provide viewers with a rich interactive experience through their television set. These walled garden services can be enhanced through the provision of on-demand video services being made available related to the walled garden content. In this manner various special interest ‘virtual’ channels that include on-demand video services, such as home and garden, travel, history, geography, sports, educational and news channels can be made available to the home viewer.
As indicated above, accessing iTV services sometimes requires the installation of a special decoder system (a set-top box) that may include a dedicated remote control unit. Other systems incorporate the iTV decoder system in a set-top box that is also used to decode and/or decrypt the television signals. In either case, the set-top box and its associated remote control provide an interface for the user to access the iTV services, usually through some form of on-screen menu that is displayed in response to user command inputs. The on-screen menu may or may not be overlaid on top of the television picture. Common examples of on-screen menus include audio/video program guides, electronic catalogs, and advertising information.
Clearly, an important component of any walled garden or other iTV service is the interactivity provided through the combination of the set-top box and its remote control and the on-screen menu. Collectively, the set-top box, the remote control and the visual information display make up the user interface for the iTV services. To date, however, these user interfaces have not been satisfactory.